Horsey and Davies lead in Morocco

THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD:
-10 D Horsey (Eng), R Davies (Wal) -9 J van Zyl (SA) -8 G Coetzee (SA), M Ilonen (Fin) -7 L Saltman (Sco), J Luiten (Hol) Selected others: -5 R Ramsay (Sco), -4 D Lynn (Eng), G Storm (Eng), D Dixon (Eng), S Wakefield (Eng) +4 D Clarke (NI)

Horsey earned his maiden Tour win in Munich last June

Englishman David Horsey and Wales’ defending champion Rhys Davies share the lead after the third round of the Trophee Hassan II in windy Morocco.

Horsey had an eagle on the sixth on his way to a 67 to join Davies, who recovered from three early bogeys to card a 68, on a 10-under total.

South African Jaco van Zyl fired a round-of-the-day 65 to lie a shot back.

Scot Lloyd Saltman is seven under but Darren Clarke is 14 off the pace after two triple-bogeys and a double-bogey.

Davies began the day by picking up a shot but bogeyed two, three and six before finding his range again to end with a birdie-haul of eight.

“I’ve played pretty well the last few days and I’m pretty happy to be at the top of the leaderboard,” reflected Davies, 25. “I’m looking forward to a good battle tomorrow Sunday.”

Horsey, whose only victory came at last June’s BMW International Open in Munich, gave himself a great chance of winning his second European Tour tournament when his eight-iron approach from 130 yards to the sixth spun in for an eagle two.

“I got off to a great start by holing my second shot on the sixth and then birdied the seventh to really get myself into contention,” said Stockport-born Horsey, 25, who was left to rue a bogey on the 17th.

“The birdie chances dried up a little bit on the back nine but then I did manage to chip in for a birdie on 15,” Horsey added.

“I was hoping to pick up another shot on the 17th but that’s the game, isn’t it? you hole out from 130 yards on one hole and then you take four to get down from 20 yards on another.”

Northern Irishman Clarke had been just one shot behind Davies’ and Dutchman Joost Luiten’s overnight lead and looked like maintaining his title challenge when he birdied the first hole.

However, he took eight on the par-five fifth and, after a double-bogey on 10, dropped three more shots at the 13th to plummet down the leaderboard and finish with a miserable 81.

Luiten only managed a 71 to sit tied for sixth with 25-year-old Saltman, whose excellent 69 featured eagles at five and 17.

Third-placed Van Zyl sank seven birdies in his blemish-free round, while his compatriot George Coetzee and Finland’s Mikko Ilonen were another stroke back after both carded 69s.